Learn How to Die; Learn How to Live

Are you ready to die today?

“‘Everybody knows they’re going to die, but nobody believes it. If we did, we would do things differently,’ Morrie said. ‘So we kid ourselves about death,’ I (Mitch) said. ‘Yes, but there’s a better approach. To know you’re going to die and be prepared for it at any time. That’s better. That way you can be actually be more involved in your life while you’re living. . . Every day, have a little bird on your shoulder that asks, ‘Is today the day? Am I ready? Am I doing all I need to do? Am I being the person I want to be?... The truth is, Mitch, once you learn how to die, you learn how to live… Most of us walk around as if we’re sleepwalking. We really don’t experience the world fully because we’re half asleep, doing things we automatically think we have to do… Learn how to die, and you learn how to live.’”—Tuesdays with Morrie

Have you ever experienced something so memorable that it is impossible to forget it? Most of us forget a large percentage of the people we meet, the places we go, the events we experience. But certain things stick out in our minds and are never forgotten. Why? What’s special about those memorable times?

In the Hebrew language, the word for remember is zachor. There is a principle in Hebrew that phonetic sounds and letters are inter-related regarding their meaning. Consequently, although the word sagar means ‘to close,’ sagar and zachor are connected in the depth of their connotations (the ‘s’ and ‘z’ are phonetically close, as are the ‘g’ and ‘ch’). When we remember an event, it is because we originally closed off that occurrence in our minds and locked it in as supremely meaningful.

When we are experiencing our wedding day or our graduation, we connect so powerfully to the celebration that it is as if our psyche is taking a continuous photo session. We store these numerous memories in the ‘picture album’ of our mind, locking them in and never forgetting them.

There don’t seem to be too many days or happenings that we lock in like this. How can we produce more experiences and days to be lived as powerfully? Morrie tells us: Learn how to die, and you learn how to live.

If we truly lived with that little bird on our shoulder asking us if we are ready to die today, we would bond so strongly with every event in our lives. We would appreciate every sunset, every walk around the block, every phone call from our parents, every conversation with our friends, every culinary delight, and so on. Each instant of life would be laced with urgency and passion. We would remind ourselves of the significance that every human experience can yield. We would pinch ourselves regularly as a reminder to appreciate the moment. We would make all days and events meaningful and memorable—even the so called monotonous ones.

By living each day as if it could be our last, we relate to each life experience passionately, powerfully, and memorably.

This is what is meant by a Talmudic statement that has perplexed many throughout the ages: “Whoever wants to live, must make himself dead” (Tamid 32a).

What does this mean? Judaism teaches that we must embrace life, seize the world and conquer it. How can it be advantageous to make ourselves like we are dead?

The explanation is: Learn how to die, and you learn how to live. By living each day as if it could be our last, we relate to each life experience passionately, powerfully, and memorably.

On the last Shabbat of every Jewish month, we recite a beautiful prayer expressing our hopes and dreams for the coming month. In this prayer, we say, ‘God, please grant us a long life.’ The question should be obvious: How is it possible to live a long life in one month’s time? A month lasts for 30 days. It would make sense for us to request to live out the month, the complete 30 days, but what do we mean when we ask for long life for a month’s time?

It is possible to live many years and yet live a short life. It is feasible to live few years and yet live a long life. As a wise man once said, “Life is not measured by the amount of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.” A month could be one full of long life or it can be a short-lived month. Both months last 30 days. The difference between them lies in how many meaningful moments were created during those 30 days. Thus, we ask God every month to help us experience our lives fully lived.